


blame it on september

by scepticallyopenminded



Series: Cross-Postings from Tumblr (Written from 2011-2013) [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Band, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, M/M, Niall works at an ice cream place, Summer, Summer Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3471764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scepticallyopenminded/pseuds/scepticallyopenminded
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the sky released the frozen rain it had been threatening with for days, Louis looked down at his phone, to where the same phone number still resided. He took a shaky breath, looking back over at the ice cream building, looking so different than it had in the summer. It looked dreary, and sad, and just wrong without the bright-eyed, energetic boy who had worked there. It looked abandoned, and not all the happy place he remembered it as being.</p>
<p>He took another shaky breath, determined not to start crying again, even other memories started coming back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	blame it on september

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally written for this competition run by 1dslashweekly (they're deactivated now) and I think I got second place that week? this was written in early 2012, I believe. the title and idea came from "Blame It On September" by Allstar Weekend.

He sighed, looking out at the cold wind blowing, staring at the huge ‘CLOSED’ sign that covered the window of the ice cream shop. He closed his eyes, letting the memories flood over him, letting it hurt him, and before he knew it, tears had started down his face.

 

_“You’re an idiot,” Harry told him as they walked up the street._

_“What? She was hot.”_

_“You’re still an idiot.”_

_Louis shrugged, not bothered in the least, as they came upon the Whippy Dip, the local ice cream place that was only open from May to early September, but had the best ice cream around.  Louis stopped at it, turning to give his puppy dog face to his best friend, who sighed but nodded. With a smile, he turned back around to find..._

_“Oh my god.”_

_The most beautiful boy in the world was leaning against the counter, serving a customer with a smile that made Louis breathless._

_“Lou?” Harry asked concernedly, following his best mate’s gaze._

_“He’s beautiful,” Louis whispered, still staring in awe. Suddenly, the boy looked up at him, the smile still on his face, and Louis was hit again as he saw the boy’s eyes. People had always complimented Louis on his own blue eyes, but they were nothing in comparison to the clear, ocean blue that he was looking into now._

_“Hello, welcome to the Whippy Dip. How can I serve you today?”_

_A sudden yelp came out of Louis’ mouth as the boy spoke in a beautiful, easy Irish accent. Harry, ever the helpful friend, just laughed as the boy looked on in confusion._

_“Um,” Harry finally spoke, eyes twinkling in amusement as Louis blushed profusely, “I’ll have a vanilla in a cone, please.”_

_“And you?”The blue eyes were back on Louis, and he felt his blush deepen._

_“Um,” his voice came out in a squeak, “Um, Neapolitan swirl, please?”_

_“Cone or cup?” the boy asked._

_“Cup,” Louis answered, voice still much higher than usual, causing Harry to laugh again._

_Still with a confused look on his face, the blond boy nodded and turned the kitchen to make the requested ice cream._

_“Oh my god,” Louis whispered, turning from the window, embarrassed beyond belief as Harry continued to laugh. He reached out to smack him._

_“Shut up! This is so not funny.”_

_“Uh, yeah, it is,” Harry replied, “I’ve never seen you this flustered before.”_

_“Well I’ve never seen such a gorgeous being before.”_

_They got their ice cream and Harry paid as Louis stayed silent, staring down into his ice cream until he was done and they’d started walking off._

_“We are so coming back tomorrow.”_

_And they did, and once again, the blond, blue-eyed Irish boy was working._

_And they went back every day, until Harry was complaining that he was going to get fat from all the ice cream, until they learned that the boy’s name was Niall, until Niall’s eyes lit up when he saw the two approaching. Until Louis wasn’t so flustered anymore and turned into his usual, flirtatious self._

_“Hey, babe,” he said with a wink to the working boy as he and Harry came upon the place once again. It was a slow day, so Niall was sitting at the counter with reading a book, and he looked up with a smile and a roll of his eyes at the voice._

_“Hello, Louis, Harry. What can I get for you today?”_

_“Nothing,” Harry moaned, hands clutching his stomach, “I don’t think I will ever be able to eat ice cream ever again.”_

_“Oh, c’mon,” Louis rolled his eyes, “It’s not that bad. I,” he turned to Niall, “Will have a Coke float.”_

_“Mmm,” the blond stood, bookmarking his book, “Mixing it up a bit, I see.”_

_“Well, regular ice cream does get old after a while.” Silence ensued as the drink was made, but after Louis paid he glanced around._

_“Been having a slow day?”_

_“Yeah,” Niall sat back down behind the counter, “You guys are my...third customers, actually.”_

_“Mind if we keep you company, then?”_

_“Of course not,” he smiled his smile, and, as always, Louis went a little breathless, “There are stools around the side of the building, if you want to sit down.”_

_He and Harry each grabbed a stool as Harry mumbled, “We are not staying here all day,” to which Louis responded by sticking out his tongue._

_“So,” Louis started the conversation, taking a drink of his Coke, “This is a rather small town, and I know pretty much everyone, and I did not know you, which tells me you are new here.”_

_“Or because I live in Ireland.”_

_“Then why are you here?” Harry contributed to the conversation._

_“My uncle owns this place, and I needed a summer job. Anyway,” Niall turned to Louis, “Your accent is different from everyone else’s, which tells me that you aren’t originally from here, either.”_

_“Nope,” Louis popped the ‘p’ and grinned, “I’ve only lived here for, like, three years.”_

_“So how old are you guys?” Niall asked next. Louis was the first to respond._

_“Twenty.”_

_“Eighteen,” Harry replied, “You?”_

_“Eighteen, also. My guess is you,” he pointed to Louis, “Are in university, and you, Harry, are going this year?”_

_“Yep,” Harry replied, while Louis shook his head._

_“Actually just getting started this coming year, too. What about you?”_

_Niall grinned proudly. “Going for a law degree in September.”_

_“Nice,” Louis commented as his phone rang. He checked it to find a text from his mother and looked back up with a sigh._

_“And just as I was about to have a nice conversation, my mum decides I need to babysit.” He rose, as did Harry, and they both smiled at the Irish boy._

_“See you tomorrow, I’m guessing?” he asked with at twinkle in his eye. Harry rolled his own eyes and replied, “If Louis has anything to say about it, yeah.”_

_The boy in question blushed as his best friend said this and gave him a light shove._

_“I actually was wondering something, though,” Louis said, looking down at his feet nervously._

_“What’s up?” Niall asked, amusement evident in his voice._

_“Um...wouldyouliketogoutsometime?” Louis asked quickly, slurring all the words together and looking up to see a confused blond._

_“What?”_

_“He wants to know if you’ll go out with him sometime,” Harry put in helpfully._

_“Oh!” Niall looked surprised, and Louis was suddenly not the only one blushing, “Um, yeah, I would love to.”_

_“Right, um. Can I have your phone number?”_

_“Oh,” the younger boy’s face turned redder, “Oh, of course.”_

_And, amidst Harry’s very amused laughter, the two traded phone numbers, and Louis walked home, a smile upon his face, unaware that back at the Whippy Dip, the boy who worked there also had a grin upon his own lips._

 

As the sky released the frozen rain it had been threatening with for days, Louis looked down at his phone, to where the same phone number still resided. He took a shaky breath, looking back over at the ice cream building, looking so different than it had in the summer. It looked dreary, and sad, and just wrong without the bright-eyed, energetic boy who had worked there. It looked abandoned, and not all the happy place he remembered it as being.

He took another shaky breath, determined not to start crying again, even other memories started coming back.

 

 

_“Louis Tomlinson,” Niall shot a glare at the boy, “Give me my phone back.”_

_“Nope,” he replied, having way too much fun teasing the younger boy to give in now._

_“Lou. Give it back. I need it.”_

_“No.”_

_“Louis,” the blond whined, “God, just give me it!”_

_“Fine,” Louis replied with a smirk, the smirk that always gave Niall a scare to see, “Kiss me.”_

_“What?” Niall asked, not sure if he’d heard right._

_“Kiss me,” Louis repeated, “Kiss me, and I’ll give your phone back.”_

_With a determined face, Niall brought his face was a centimetre away from the older boy’s, causing Louis to lose the smirk and go slightly limp. He opened his mouth a little in anticipation as the blond got closer, and closer..._

_And grabbed his phone, giving Louis a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back, a huge grin on his face._

_“Niall,” Louis was the one whining this time, “That wasn’t what I meant and you know it.”_

_“What?” Niall asked innocently, “I gave you a kiss, didn’t I?”_

_“Not cool. Not cool at all.”_

_The younger boy just smiled his beatific smile and Louis couldn’t help himself anymore. He leaned forward until they were once again just centimetres apart._

_“This is what I meant,” he whispered, and pressed his lips against the soft pink one’s in front of him._

_And fuck him if it wasn’t an amazing kiss._

_Their lips worked against each other softly and slowly, and they both shifted into more comfortable positions as the kiss grew longer, and Louis’ tongue slipped out to lick Niall’s bottom lip, and he opened his mouth slightly in surprise, and Louis took advantage of the situation, pushing his tongue in and exploring the younger boy’s mouth, causing Niall to give the slightest, lightest of moans._

_And when he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing heavily, staring into each other’s eyes, and strangely enough, it wasn’t awkward at all, even though they’d only known each other about two weeks and most of that time had been sparse little conversations over a counter._

_“Well,” Niall spoke after a moment, voice a little deeper, “That was...certainly....”_

_“Yeah,” Louis responded, “Yeah, yeah it was.” He paused. “Can I do it again?”_

_“God, please do.”_

_And Louis did._

_“Oh, god, Louis.”_

_It was nearing the end of July, and the pair had been officially dating for nearly a month. But even then, as Harry so nicely pointed out on several occasions, there was a whole heck of a lot of sexual tension between the couple. Even Louis other two best friends, Liam and Zayn, had picked up on it, and they’d only met the blond twice._

_The thing was, Louis was scared. Not of having sex—he’d had experience with that, and he definitely wasn’t a virgin. No, he was scared of taking something away from Niall. Whether or not he actually_ was _innocent (and Louis doubted he was), the blond_ looked _so innocent, so un-worldly, that Louis didn’t want to taint that._

_But now, they were lying in the back of Louis’ van, and, well, definitely ‘getting it on’._

_Louis’d shown up just as the Whippy Dip was closing, around five p.m., and he couldn’t help it, as soon as Niall had come out of the building, locking the door behind him, in that uniform—he’d lost control. The uniform was polyester and definitely not the most amazing thing on the planet, but, of course, the blond somehow made it_ look _like the most amazing thing on the planet, and just_ look so damn hot _in it that Louis couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d bothered to try._

_“Lou,” Niall moaned as Louis ravaged his neck, hands finding their way under the bright blue polo, ghosting over his skin and causing him to shiver as Louis smirked. He pushed the shirt up and over the always-soft blond hair and started kissing down his chest when, rather suddenly, Niall started laughing. Louis brought his head up to look into the laughing face, eyebrows raised._

_“That’s not a very good ego booster, you know.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Niall calmed down slowly, merriment still showing in those (damn beautiful) blue eyes, “It’s just, I just realized that I am about to have sex with perhaps the most amazing person in the planet for the first time, and we’re in the back of his van.”_

_“Ah, well,” Louis was back down, kissing his boyfriend gently on the lips, “You see, things don’t always work out in the most convenient of ways. I want you, and I want you now—no matter if we’re in the back of a van or on the side of the road.”_

_“Well, you’re lucky then,” Niall replied, reaching his own hands up under Louis’ shirt to slip it off the brunet’s body, “Because there is no way I’d fuck you on the side of the road.”_

_“I’d like to think it more of making love. At least this time,” Louis told the blond as he flipped them over so he was on top and sucking on Louis’ neck._

_“Just a difference in terms,” Niall responded, kissing up his jaw, “Either way, I just want you inside me.”_

_“Mmm,” Louis hummed in appreciation as his hands made their way to the younger boy’s zipper, “Have you ever been with a guy before?”_

_“Once,” he responded, wiggling out of his pants, “You?”_

_“Thrice.” Louis began running his hands over the blond’s toned back, as Niall started palming him, making it hard to answer when he asked “Top or bottom?”_

_“Bottom twice, top once,” the older was barely able to say before he moaned loudly, “Yourself?”_

_“Bottom.”_

_Louis flipped them back over and wriggled out of his own jeans and boxers, leaning back down to capture the small pink lips in his own, taking off his boyfriend’s boxers, too. He reached up to the front seat to grab the lube he’d just so happened to have in his car as he pulled back._

_“You ready?” he asked after he’d slicked up two fingers, positioning them at the younger boy’s entrance and meeting the eyes that had turned more cerulean with lust. He just nodded, biting his lip, and whimpering when one finger was pushed inside him. As it wasn’t his first time, he wasn’t_ too _tight, but it was still a few moments before Louis pushed in the other finger._

_It was only a few minutes more before Niall had become a whimpering, moaning mess, and Louis pulled out his fingers to much protest, but was quick to lube up and push in his cock, causing another loud groan to come from the blond. Only this time, Louis joined in in the groaning._

_Safe to say, it was some of the best sex either of them had ever had._

It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.

He had been _so in love_. So deeply in love with the blond Irishman.

He’d had relationships before Niall, two serious ones, but never had he been so in love with someone.

_So why couldn’t they be together?_

Why was everything so hard?

Louis looked down at his phone again, picking it up, thumbing through is contacts until...and oh, that picture of Niall. He remembered that day so well.

So damn well.

 

_“Would you call yourself gay?” Niall asked, handing Louis his Coke and taking up his own, sipping it gratefully against the heat that was August. Louis sat down across the counter and started at the question. He’d been eyeing his boyfriend in the uniform again, something he really had to stop doing, or he would take him right then and there in the ice cream shop, which wouldn’t be a good thing, for either of them. Or the other customers, for that matter._

_“Mmm,” he thought about the question for a moment as Niall got a mother and son two ice cream cones._

_“Yeah. I think I am, at least. I’ve never been especially attracted to girls, at least not since I was about thirteen. I mean, I can still say they’re beautiful and hot and fit and stuff, but, like I would never actually want to kiss a girl, and I can’t say as that I’ve been physically and definitely not emotionally attracted to any before.” He paused, taking a sip of his drink. “What about you?”_

_Niall shrugged, looking off at the two occupied tables. The day had been busier than usual, actually. He guessed it was because it was so hot out._

_“Before I met you, I would’ve said bi-curious. Now...now, I think I am definitely bi, without a doubt. But, honestly, besides you, I’ve found maybe two other guys attractive.”_

_“Hmm, let’s see...the first guy you had sex with.”_

_“Yep,” Niall answered as another customer approached. The working boy handed them a root beer float and turned back to Louis._

_“And Harry.”_

_Louis’ eyebrows shot to his hairline._

_“You find Harry attractive?”_

_“He is. And I know you think so, too.”_

_“Yeah,” Louis admitted with a laugh, “That he is.”_

_“Aw, thanks.” The boy in question came up to the counter and sat, “It’s nice to know I attract boys as well as girls.”_

_“You’re just that good looking,” Liam suddenly was at the counter as well, patting the curly-haired boy on the head and nodding to the other two, “Hey, Lou, Niall.”_

_“Liam,” the couple said in unison._

_“Creepy,” Harry muttered, shoving Liam’s hand away from his hair, “Don’t touch.”_

_“Someone’s crabby this afternoon,” Niall commented, earning him a glare._

_“Just get me a vanilla in a cup,” Harry snapped._

_“Now, now, that’s no way to treat the person making you’re food,” Liam reprimanded, “He might spit in your ice cream.” Harry glared at him, as well._

_“And can I please get a Coke?” Liam turned to Niall, who nodded._

_“One vanilla in a cup and one Coke, coming up.”_

_It was only a moment before both boys had their orders and had paid and Niall was sitting back down, trying to air out the front of his shirt. It was so damn hot out._

_“Zayn wants to know if we wanna play some football after Niall gets off work,” Liam told them a few moments later, looking down at his phone._

_“Who would play football in this goddamned heat?” Harry asked, shoving the freezing ice cream down his throat so fast he was bound to get a brain freeze._

_“I would love to,” Louis piped up, “It’s been forever since I’ve played.”_

_“Same here,” Niall agreed, “I haven’t played since I was in Ireland.”_

_“And I want to,” Liam shrugged._

_“You only want to play ‘cause Zayn’ll be there and most likely shirtless,” Harry muttered, causing Liam to turn red and sputter protests and Niall to laugh. Niall always looked absolutely stunning when he laughed the angelic laugh. Louis needed a picture of that. He pulled out his phone and snapped the picture just before Niall calmed down._

_“What was that?” the Irish boy asked, looking to his boyfriend as Liam’s protests continued to fall on deaf ears. Everyone knew he was in love with Zayn, even if he wouldn’t admit it._

_“Just your new contact picture,” Louis responded, turning his phone around. Niall looked at it and scrunched his nose up._

_“I look horrible when I laugh.”_

_Louis gasped dramatically. “Niall Horan! You look absolutely_ gorgeous _when you laugh, and don’t you dare let anyone tell you otherwise!” He leaned over the counter to give his boyfriend a quick peck._

_“Right,” Niall laughed, not believing the older boy. He glanced down at his watch and smiled._

_“Anyway, I think I’m going to start closing up now. Tell Zayn we’ll be there?”_

_“Already done,” Liam smiled, causing Harry to sigh._

_“Of course it is.”_

_Liam turned bright red again._

That had been one of the best days of Louis’ entire life, if he was honest with himself. As he stared down at the photo, he remembered the nice, simplistic feeling of life on that day. The feeling of playing football with your three best friends and your boyfriend.

With another deep sigh, Louis pushed the ‘call’ button.

This was it.

 

_“I can’t believe you’re leaving.”_

_Niall sighed, folding his uniform, freshly washed, and placing it on his bed, before he continued to pack the suitcase._

_“Yeah. I can’t, either.” He paused. “I don’t want to leave.”_

_“I don’t want you to, either.” Louis was sitting on his boyfriend’s bed, knees up to his chest. There was a constant threat of tears, and a constant prickling sensation in his eyes._

_“But I have to.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_They were silent as Niall continued to pack._

_“Do you think we should—”_

_“No,” Louis vehemently shook his head, “I can’t live without you, Ni.”_

_The silence continued._

_“It’s going to be hard, you know,” Niall whispered, “It’s going to be really, really hard, with the ocean between us.”_

_“Just the sea,” Louis reminded him, “We’ll only be a few hundred kilometres apart.”_

_“It’s still going to be hard.”_

_“I know.” The older boy sighed deeply. “I’m going to miss you so much.”_

_“I’m going to miss you more.”_

_Niall finished up his packing and plopped down on the bed next to Louis, who threw his arm tightly around his boyfriend, snuggling up._

_“Goodbye sex?” he asked, causing Niall to laugh._

_“How about a goodbye cuddle for now?”_

_“Aw,” Louis pretended to pout before settling a kiss in the blond’s hair, “I love you.”_

_“I love you too.”_

_And they fell asleep in each other’s arms._

He hadn’t expected that to be their last time in each other’s arms, or he would’ve tried to prolong it. He’d thought there would be more; not as often, of course, and probably months apart. But he hadn’t expected that to be the last.

But no summer lasted forever, he supposed. And they were just that; summer love. Summer love he’d hoped would turn into something else, but essentially, they were summer love.

“Lou?”

Louis breath hitched as Niall picked up the phone, his voice portraying his confusion.

“Louis, are you okay?”

Louis nearly broke down.

“Yeah,” he managed out, somehow not sobbing quite yet, “Yeah, I just needed to hear your voice.”

Niall sighed, coming out crackled through the phone.

“Louis...we broke up.”

“I know.”

“It’s for the best.”

“I know.”

Niall sighed again, hearing it in Louis’ voice that he was about to break.

“I miss you, though,” the older boy blurted out.

“Yeah,” Niall was slow to answer, as if he were choosing his words carefully. In the end, he just responded with “Yeah, I miss you too.”

Silence started, awkward, but not at the same time. They had been too close for it to be that uncomfortable.

“Maybe later, Lou,” Niall finally spoke, “Maybe when we don’t live so far apart. But...but it’s so hard when I can’t see you except maybe three times a year.”

“I just,” Louis wasn’t sure how to portray his emotions, “I _need_ you.”

Another sigh.

“It’s hard without you,” Niall was suddenly saying, “It’s so fucking hard. I was way too dependent on you, you know. But I just don’t know if the phone calls and the texts and the occasion Skype is enough, Lou. _I_ need to see you.” A pause. “We can fight it all we want, Louis. But summer’s gone.”

And Louis broke. Sobs racked his body, and soon enough, Niall had joined him. They cried for a love lost, separated by kilometres, and by the winter months. They cried for themselves, and for each other. It seemed like hours passed as they both let out their emotions, through tears and through the phone.

“I still love you, Ni,” Louis finally was able to say, sniffling as he did so.

“I love you too, Lou,” Niall replied, voice shaky, “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me at [onedirectionaremyfirstlove](http://onedirectionaremyfirstlove.tumblr.com/) or [asocialfoxpaw](http://asocialfoxpaw.tumblr.com/)


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